Follow the author of this article

Follow the topics within this article

A 33-year-old man has been charged with fraudulently obtaining money intended for Grenfell Tower survivors and bereaved families.

Antonio Gouveia is alleged to be neither a survivor of the tragedy nor someone left bereaved, but tried to fraudulently get his hands on money meant for those affected by the tragedy, which killed at least 71 people.

Mr Gouveia was arrested on Thursday and charged with two counts of fraud by false representation, the Metropolitan Police said. He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court later on Friday.

Mohammad Gamoota, 31, pretended to be the son of one of the victims to get £5,000 and free hotel stays. He was jailed for 18 months.

Two illegal immigrants who posed as victims were put up in hotels at the taxpayer's expense for almost a year.

Elaine Douglas and Tommy Brooks, who are Jamaican, falsely claimed more than £100,000 in accommodation and pre-paid credit cards before staff at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea realised the flat they claimed to live in did not exist.

Joyce Msokeri, 47, was jailed for four and a half years in relation to a Grenfell Tower fraud. She posed as a survivor in a bid to claim hundreds of thousands of pounds, and that her husband and sister-in-law had perished.

In fact she was single and living miles away.

Anh Nhu Nguyen, 52, of Beckenham, south-east London, was also jailed earlier this year for 21 months for pretending he lost family members in the blaze.